Promise check: Complete the National Broadband Network with $29.5 billion in taxpayer funding

When the Coalition announced its policy for the National Broadband Network on April 9, 2013, it said taxpayer funding would be limited to $29.5 billion.

"Our plan will cost $29.5 billion," the announcement said. "This will ensure the NBN is cash flow positive and can operate without assistance from government."

A detailed plan attached to the announcement said the Coalition would issue a revised "statement of expectations" to NBN Co, the government company building the network.

"The statement of expectations will specify a limit on the public capital available to NBN Co," the plan said. "This limit will be $29.5 billion."

The Coalition also said that $29.5 billion would be enough to implement the project.

At the policy launch, Tony Abbott said the Coalition would build a fibre-to-the-node network for under $30 billion.

"We are going to invest the money, up to the $29.5 billion," Mr Abbott said. "We believe that that is what it will take to get the National Broadband Network up and running and ready for sale".

This is reflected in the policy documents, which described $29.5 billion as the project's "required funding". The detailed plan defined "required funding" as "the money a new project or company needs to raise (as equity or debt) to reach a point where it can sustain itself without assistance".

Similarly, the Coalition's background papers to the NBN plan defined "required funding" as "the sum that NBN Co needs to raise from taxpayers or investors to pay for its network and any operating losses it incurs while the network is built, up until the time that NBN Co becomes cash flow positive and financially self-sufficient".

Here's how the promise to complete the NBN with $29.5 billion in taxpayer funding has been tracking:

Fast facts

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